Researchers at the University of Vienna studied three species of Clusia trees to understand how they use CAM photosynthesis, a water saving strategy where plants take in carbon dioxide at night and keep their pores closed during the day. The study, published in Nature Communications, found that ancient genome duplications and reorganizations led to different forms of CAM, from strong to stress triggered. This diversity helps the trees survive drought and could inform efforts to develop more drought resistant crops. The findings could help scientists identify genes responsible for water efficiency and carbon fixation. With climate change making dry conditions more common, these insights may lead to crops that need less water, which is important for food security and sustainable agriculture. While the leap from tree biology to crop engineering is still large, the genomic data provides a foundation for future research.
